The improvements of this invention are an outgrowth of the device illustrated in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,188 granted Jul. 30, 1996 and entitled TODDLER HARNESS. To the extent that there are similarities between the device of my '188 patent and the subject matter disclosed in this application, the disclosure of my '188 patent in incorporated herein by reference. As shown in the '188 patent, a pair of interconnected looped straps were placed about a child's back, chest and beneath the arms so that an adult could assist the child in staying upright when learning to ride a bicycle. In essence, the straps were a totally different substitute for conventional "training wheels". The amount of adult support from the top of the looped straps was readily controllable, according to the support needs of the child. At the outset, before beginning to pedal the bike, the adult would almost completely support the child. By then walking or jogging alongside and still holding the straps above the child, the amount of support could be decreased as the adult could feel that the child was beginning to balance properly. At some point in time where the adult was confident that support was no longer needed, the straps could be maintained in place awhile longer without support being supplied, to assure that the child was protected against a fall.
When it was recognized that the invention of the '188 patent had other potential uses, it was sought to adapt it to adult use. In particular, an effort was made to adapt it to a person who had loss of mobility due to lower extremity amputation, stroke or other disability. While little difficulty was experienced in providing a harness of sufficient strength and having sufficient padding for comfortably supporting a large adult, the harness according to my '188 patent usually contacted opposite sides of the person's face and head. This not only caused physical discomfort, but also tended toward distraction and loss of concentration due to rubbing against the person's head and face as he or she moved. This problem was of little or no significance for a toddler learning to ride a bicycle, particularly since the toddler typically had a helmet keeping the straps away from his or her face. However, the problem had the potential of rendering the device of my '188 patent of little or only nominal value in rehabilitation.